June 15 - 26 ,  2006

This was a trip  ABOUT  HORSES  !!!

Some friends of ours from England invited us to join them for  ROYAL ASCOT  WEEK.

( Now since this is a more formal affair than  "normal" Ascot events ... certain  "traditions"  have to be followed.... like the  DRESS CODE ).

Especially since our friends have a box in the Royal  Enclosure.        After all ... it just wouldn't do to pass the Queen in the hall,  wearing jeans.

( By the way ... we actually DID have several encounters with Charles .... and one memorable one with the Queen. )

So before we left The Woodlands .... I  HAD to go shopping.  Didn't have a THING  to wear, you know.

Actually ... the main stumbling block was .....  HATS !!!              

Other than Stetsons, baseball caps  and sun hats .... there isn't a single piece of millinery  wear anywhere to be found in the entire Houston area.

So we went to England  a week before the event  .... and I went shopping.    OH  MY  GAWD !!!    It's  "Hat Heaven" over there  !!!

Now it wasn't all me, you know.     Roy had to have the final fitting on his  "Morning Coat"  and pick up his top hat.

Some  "car park", huh ?     But some people even arrived in horse-drawn carriages.   It was  spectacular !!

The  Royal  Procession   ( this is an every day event during Royal Ascot Week  )

The  QUEEN    ....  that's  Charles  in  grey.           

 Every day  there's  a side bet  that goes on ...  in the Royal Enclosure  Boxes ...as to what color the Queen will be wearing.

Princess  Ann  is in the first carriage   .....    Sophie  &  Edward  are in the 2nd one.

There  are  pre-race  ( and  post-race ) tailgate parties  every day .... complete with champagne and snacks.  Ours were held in a park across from the main entrance to Ascot.  ( access by special pass ).

With   Ian ... from  Scotland.

  We'll probably be joining him in Scotland this year for New Year's Eve.

Except for us and members of the family ... Paul & Prue  invited a few  different guests each day.         

  You might recognize the 3rd person from the right.... from "Sex  &  The  City"

General Admission area ....  the one in the tutu  is a guy

With  Kim  Cattrall

Prue  &  Paul ...      with daughters  Charlotte  and  Lucy

Paul has a  nice view of the track  from the balcony of  the box.

With  Jamie  &  Charlotte  ( Paul's  son-in-law  &  daughter )

The  inside of  the  box  came equipped  with a  fully stocked bar .... a huge dining table  ( which was set up buffet style  & FULL of lunch  goodies )  .....

a  huge  Flat-screen  wall TV ....  a kitchen  .....  a  bar man  &  a maid 

 and a person  who would come  &  take your bets , before every race ..... and bring your winnings from the previous one ... ( if you had  any ).

Fredrik  ( a friend from  Austria )  

and  Lucy  ( Paul's  daughter , who lives in Ireland )

Charlotte.       And just in case you were wondering .... YES ... both the girls and their children are heavily into the  "horse world" .... as are their parents,   Paul & Prue.

Well .... so much for Roy's attempt to convince me to  turn over my winnings to him

Dufus  &  Goofus  (  Jamie Butler  &  Jamie ... the son-in-law  )

Typical   POST-RACE  PARTY

"Belting  Out A Song "  .... ( I think it was  "Knees Up Mother Brown" )

Hmmmm ... wonder what's going on in the mind of our  "appreciative  audience " 

Each  day ....After the end of the last race .... people would gather at the band-stand  for a  really  rousing  Sing-A-Long

This guy is ONE OF THE JOCKEYS who rode his horse to first place that day.

Listening to him recount the  "blow-by-blow" of the event  was highly entertaining.